Load equalizing system



July .25, 1 944. o. K. KJoLsETH y LOAD EQUALIZING SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dee. 31, 1941 TmK. 6 s

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Patented July 25, 1944 LoAD EQUALIZTNG SYSTEM Ole K. Kjolseth, Erie, Pa., assgnor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application December 31, 1941; Serial No. 425,097

3 Claims.

My invention relates to load equalizing systems for locomotive or car spring suspension systems.V

An object of my invention is to provide an improved load equalizing system for the two sides of a locomotive or car suspension system.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved transverse load equalizing system 'for a locomotive or car wherein a part of the weight of the locomotive is transmitted to aguidingV truck and the remainder is supported on driving axles.

Further objects and advantages of my inven-` tion will become apparent and my invention will be better understood from the following description referring to the accompanying drawings, and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out 4with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specication.

In the'drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevationa view of a locomotive provided with an embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view, partly broken away, of an end of the supporting structure of the locomotive shown in Fig.

l; Fig. 3 is a side elevational View, partly broken away, of the part of the locomotive shown inFig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an enlarged side View of a part of the longitudinal equalizer andV its support shown in Figs. l to 4, inclusive; and Fig. 6 is an end view, partly in section, ofthe portion of the longitudinal equalizer shown in Fig.y 5.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a loco,- motive having a superstructure ||1V supported by any suitable center bearings II on articulated 1 driving trucks I2 connected togetherat their inner adjacent ends by an articulation joint I3. These driving trucks I2 are provided with driving axles mounted in journal boxes |4 and supported by driving wheels I5. The trucks I2 are supported on the axles through a side spring suspension system which includes longitudinally extending spring members I6, I1 and I8 arranged on each side of the locomotive and provided with spring straps I9 which are mounted on the upper sides of the journal boxes I4 for supporting the springs on the journal boxes. The ends `20, 2|, and 22 of the longitudinal spring members I6, Il, and I8, respectively, support a part of the weight of the locomotive on the driving trucks I2 through spring hangers 23 which are provided with spring seats 24 at the lower ends thereof for supporting coil springs 25 arranged in engagement with upper spring seats 26 formed as a part of the side frames of the driving trucks' I2. The adjacent ends 21 of the longitudinal spring members Il and I8 are connected by spring hangers 28 to the ends of a.- longitudinally extending equalizer'29 pivotally secured by a lsupportingpivot pin 3|) to each respectiveside frame of the driving trucks I 2.15A single vaxle guiding truck provided with a swivel truckyiramel is arranged at each end of the locomotive and is supported through a guiding truck axle 32 on wheels `33. The inner end of` each truck frame 3| is pivotally' secured by a swivel joint 34 tothe main driving truck frame I2., Each truck is provided with a longitudinally extending spring 35i-having a spring strap 36 mountedon the upper. sidel of an axle journal box 31 on each-side of the guiding truck. 'Ihe ends ofthe longitudinally extending springs 35 `support the truck frame on the journal boxes through spring hangers 38provided with spring seats39 at their. lower ends thereof on which coil springs 4llare mounted in engagement with upper spring seats 4| .formed as a part .of the guiding truck frame 3|.v

l -In this type locomotiveit is desirable that the guiding trucks should carry a partrof theweight of the locomotive in .order to provide adesired guiding effort through these trucks to themain driving trucks, and it also is desirable thatsome arrangement be provided for equalizingtheload transversely of the` locomotive .to .equalize the tractive eifo'rt exerted by the driving wheels on each side of the locomotive. In order to providethese desired results, a transverse load equalizing system is provided which includes'a trans'-, verse equalizer 42 arranged above the.` platform structure 43 of each of the driving trucksl|2 which is adapted to be connected to thefside spring suspension system on each side of the locomotive and to be supported on the guiding truck 3| through a center plate 44 and center plate extension 54 vertically movable relative to. platform structure 43l of the driving trucks |2. This center plate is supported on a `center bearing 45 which is mounted on a laterally mov.- able supporting plate 46 having cam surfaces 41 in engagement with rollers 48 supportedon relatively stationary cam surfaces 49 mounted on the guiding truck frame 3|. The rollers 48 are connected together by a transversely extending frame 5|) to which is pivotally securedan upwardly extending link 5| which is secured through an arm 52 to the center bearing 45 and through an arm 53 to the guiding truck frame 3|. In this manner, whenever there is a tendency for the center plate 44 tomove laterally relative to thetruck frame 3|, the cam surfaces 4l will tend to move upwardly over the rollers 48 and the rollers 48 will tend to move upwardly over the cam surfaces 49, thereby exerting a restraining force on the center bearing providing, through the platform structure 43 of the driving truck I2, a graduated guiding effort to the wheels of the driving truck I2 and will tend to return it to its normally centered position relative to the guiding truck frame `3|. The center plate 44 is provided with an upwardly extending substantially rectangular stem 54 having bearing element surfaces and 56 arranged on the sides thereoff in engagement with the complementarybearing surfaces 51 and 58, respectively, mounted in substantially rectangular openings formed in collars 59 and 60 of the driving truck frames I2. This substantially rectangular stem is provided with a double rocker fulcrum supporting elemeni-I 6I on the upper end thereof arranged in engagement with a doublelrocker fulcrum bearing seat 62 mounted on the transverse equalizer 42 'for supporting the equalizer through the center plate stem on the center plate so as to transferpart of the weight-,of the locomotive which is carried Aby the transverse equalizer through'the center plate 44 to the guiding truck 3|. The double rocker fulcrum support for the transverse equalizer 32 tends to prevent tilting of the transverse equalizer an'd to return it toga normally centeredpositionrelative to the supporting fulcrum element-l 6I. The center plate supporting stem 54 is formedat its upper endas a guard yoke 63 which extendsV over the central portion of the transverse equalizerl 42 to prevent itsqaccidental displacement from its support on the center plate stem fulcrum element 6 I.

In orderl to requalize the load transversely of the two sides'of -the locomotive and to transmit a part of the'weight of the locomotive to the transverse equalizer 42, a longitudinally extending equalizer element is provided on each side of the locomotivewhich includesa pair of substantially; parallellongitudinally extending equalizer crank arms 64 and 65 rigidly secured together at their adjacent ends to a transversely extending torsion shaft 66 which is provided with a pair of supporting bearings 61 arranged between bearing. seats 68 and 69 on the torsion shaft 66 and the driving truck frame I2 for supporting part ofj the weight of the locomotive directly on the equalizer through the shaft 66 as shown in detail in .Fig..5. Guard straps 'I0 are arranged 'about'the torsion shaft 66 and areV secured by bolts 'II .to the underside of the driving truck frame I2 to prevent accidental displacement of the torsion shaft 66 relative to its bearings 61 andthe truck frame I2. A stop plate 12 is securedto Vtheinner end 'I3 of each torsion shaft 66 and isharranged to extend upwardly about the lowerend of a downwardly extending stop plate I4'fs `=.c'u'red to the truck frame I2 to prevent accidental transverse displacement of the torsion shaft 66 relative to the truck frame I2. One end of the longitudinally extending equalizer is adapted to be supported on a driving axle through the side spring suspension system of the locomotivey by connecting the free outer end of the longitudinal-equalizer arm 65 to the adjacentend of the longitudinally extending spring member I6 through a spring hanger 15. In this manner (each of the longitudinally extending equalizer members is A-resiliently supported on a journal box and is adapted to transmit a part of the -load of they locomotive from the torsion fizer 42 further minimize the tendency of the transverse equalizer 42 to tilt or rock relative to the longitudinally extending equalizers and the driving truck I2 and provide restraining forces which tend to centerthis portion of the load equalizing system. This equalizing system also provides for cross and longitudinal equalization shaft 66 through the arm 65 to the drivingaxle 75 of shocks received by the wheels and for an even distribution of load between the drivers, and the vauxiliary guiding trucks combined with a plurality of side supports for the driving trucks on the suspension system afford a marked degree of lateral stability which is desirable in this type locomotive construction.

While I Vhave illustrated and described a particular embodiment of my invention, modications thereof will occur to those skilled in the art. I desire it to be understood, therefore, that my invention is not to be limited to ther particular arrangement disclosed, and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A transverse load equalizing system for a locomotive having a guiding truck and a main driving truck with a driving axle which includes a longitudinally extending spring member on each side of said driving truck supported on said driving axle, a transverse equalizer having a central double fulcrum seat. means including a center plate on said guiding truck for supporting a part of the weight of said locomotive thereon, means including a double fulcrum supported on said center plate and arranged in engagement with said transverse equalizer central double fulcrumseat for supporting said transverse equalizer, an end double fulcrum seat adjacent each end of said transverse equalizer, a longitudinally extending equalizer member arranged on each side of said locomotive, means for supporting one end of each of said longitudinally extending equalizer members on said longitudinal spring members, means including a double fulcrum element for supporting the other end of each of said longitudinal equalizer members on said transverse equalizer and double fulcrum seats, and means for supporting a partof the Weight of said locomotive on said longitudinally extending equalizer members.

2. A transverse load equalizing system for a locomotive having a guiding truck and a main driving truck with a driving axle which includes a longitudinally extending spring member on each side of said driving truck supported on said driving axle, a transverse equalizer having a central double fulcrum seat, means including a center plate on said guiding truck for supporting a part of the weight of said locomotive thereon, means including' a double'fulcrum supported on said center plate and arranged in engagement with said transverse equalizer central double fulcrum seat for supporting said transverse equalizer, a longitudinally extending equalizer member arranged on each side of said locomotive, means for supporting one end of each of said 1ongitudinally extending equalizer members on said longitudinal spring members, means for supporting the other end of each of said longitudinal equalizer members on `said transverse equalizer, and means for supporting a part of the Weight of said locomotive directly on said longitudinally extending equalizer members.

3. A transverse load equalizing system for a locomotive having a guiding truck and a main driving truck with a driving axle which includes a longitudinally extending spring member on each side of said driving truck supported on said driving axle, a transverse equalizer, means including a center plate on said guiding truck for supporting a part of the Weight of said locomotive on said guiding truck, means including a double fulcrum for supporting said transverse equalizer on said center plate, an end double fulcrum seat adjacent each end of said transverse equalizer, a longitudinally extending equalizer member-arranged on each side of said locomotive, means for supporting one end of each of said longitudinal equalizer members on said longitudinal spring members, means including a double fulcrurn element for supporting the other end of each of said longitudinal equalizer members on said transverse equalizer end double fulcrum seats, and means for supporting a part of the Weight of said locomotive on said longitudinally extending equalizer members.

OLE K. KJ OLSETH. 

